Sox buying into taking a day off
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
OAKLAND, Calif. — As the Red Sox continue to rake their way to the best record in baseball through the first three weeks of the season, they are doing it with the understanding that it’s about it being a marathon, not a sprint.
The Sox led the majors in most key offensive categories going into last night’s series opener against the A’s, and they’re getting contributions up and down the lineup. Part of that can be traced to the unselfishness of this group.
The approach for the Red Sox, a team that plans to play deep into October, seems to be that of sacrificing in the short term for the greater good. And with plenty of firepower beyond the starters, they’re not sacrificing much anyway.
“It hasn’t been tough,” Sox manager Alex Cora said of playing everybody. “They understand why and the benefits of it. I think they understand that the players who are getting atbats are good players too. And for this to work everybody has to contribute.”
One player who has embraced that mentality is J.D. Martinez, who has made a good first impression but isn’t trying to tire himself out in April.
Martinez went 8-for-12 with two doubles, a home run and five runs scored in the Sox’ three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels, but in the eighth inning of their 8-2 win on Thursday, he approached Cora and told him that he could take a night off last night.
“He actually said, ‘Tomorrow’s a good day,’ ” Cora said. “I’m like, ‘OK, cool.’ ”
It didn’t surprise Cora, who, although a first-time skipper, draws from the experience of coaching last season’s World Series champion Astros with one of the best offenses in baseball.
“I lived through it last year with probably one of the best hitters in the world, Jose Altuve,” Cora said. “For him, it was hard to accept the off days, but with time, he understood there’s a lot of effort when you go 3-for-5, 3-for-5, 3-for5, 3-for-5. He does it five days in a row, he’s on base 15 times and he’s running the bases. It takes a lot of effort, and he understood that it’s actually good when you’re hot, you’re gonna be hot in two days. It’s not like that because you don’t play today, all of a sudden you’re gonna lose it. But I think, physically, it takes a toll.”
Smith improving
He wasn’t exactly pitching in pressure situations, but Cora liked what he saw in reliever Carson Smith against the Angels.
Smith pitched a scoreless inning in each of the wins on Wednesday and Thursday, and Cora said he’s starting to see signs of the pitcher he first watched in Fort Myers this spring.
“There was a slider he threw to (the Angels’ Mike) Trout that he buckled, and that was the slider we saw in spring training,” Cora said. “So he’s gaining confidence, he’s throwing the ball better and that’s a good sign for us.”
Cora said he’s doing his best to manage Smith’s workload a year after the reliever returned from Tommy John surgery. There are still things he’s trying to improve on, particularly his command.
“He’s not happy with it,” Cora said. “Actually, on the first outing in LA, there was a pitch he didn’t get and he ended up walking a guy. He was upset at the pitch, but more upset at the walks, so he doesn’t feel he’s there yet, but I think the action of the pitches are getting better. You can see it. Slider’s getting a lot better, and that’s a weapon.”
No word on Kelly
The Red Sox are still awaiting word on the status of Joe Kelly’s suspension appeal, which was heard here yesterday. Cora is not expecting a decision until “probably Tuesday, most likely.”
Kelly is appealing a sixgame suspension he received for plunking the Yankees’ Tyler Austin and inciting a bench-clearing brawl on April 11 . . . .
Steven Wright’s first rehab start with Pawtucket didn’t go as planned yesterday. The right-handed knuckleballer was removed in the third inning due to lower back stiffness.
Wright threw 61 pitches through 22⁄3 innings before he left the game. He gave up five hits and two earned runs, walked two and struck out three. Wright is making his way back after having surgery to repair his left knee . . . .
Cora said reliever Bobby Poyner, who’s recovering from a left hamstring injury, will make another appearance with DoubleA Portland today. The Red Sox will make a decision on Poyner’s next step following that outing.